In poor countries and in rich countries, in peace and in war, women are subjected to violence by their fathers, brothers, or those who once claimed to love them.

In 1999, on the initiative of the World Health Organization, the United Nations General Assembly adopted November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The origin of the date goes back to 1960; on that day in the Dominican Republic, on the orders of dictator Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961), the three Mirabal sisters[1] [en] were brutally assassinated because they were regarded as political opponents.

Factsheet N°239, published on WHO's website in September 2011, provides some worrisome data[2] [en] collected in a global-scale study:

The WHO Multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women in 10 mainly developing countries found that, among women aged 15-49:

between 15% of women in Japan and 71% of women in Ethiopia reported physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime;

between 0.3–11.5% of women reported experiencing sexual violence by a non-partner since the age of 15 years;

the first sexual experience for many women was reported as forced – 17% in rural Tanzania, 24% in rural Peru, and 30% in rural Bangladesh.

But it would be a mistake to think that this phenomenon is limited to poor countries in Africa, Asia, or Latin America.

[3]

March 8 (International Women's Day) demonstration in Dhaka, on Wikipedia under license CC-BY-2.0

Domestic violence

Womann's World sheds some light[4] on the extent of one aspect of violence against women in France:

According to official figures, one woman in 10 is the victim of domestic violence and one woman dies every 2.5 days at the hands of her spouse or partner. In 2011, 122 women died in France. Alarming figures that have yet to significantly decline, mainly due to the lack of concrete measures announced by the government. What about the issues of reception and treatment of victims? Will the Observatoire national des violences faites aux femmes (National Observatory on Violence Against Women) promised by Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister of Women's Rights, see the light of day?

Cultural practices

Some aspects of violence against women in France are linked to cultural practices in immigrant populations, who continue to follow traditional practices increasingly falling into disuse in their countries of origin. The site Forum au Féminin reveals[5]:

It is estimated that at least 30,000 circumcised women and girls currently live in France. Other organizations put the figure at 10,000 to 20,000 young girls from Africa who are at risk of female genital mutilation.

RapeMeanwhile, rape is more common and affects those from all walks of life, as the blog les-carnets-d-emma.blogs.lavoixdunord.fr reminds[6] us in this post:

75,000 women are raped every year. Only 3% of rape cases are prosecuted. Every eight minutes, a woman is raped. 59% of rape victims are minors. The numbers speak for themselves.

Two women who had been raped commented on the post about what they had endured. One of the women recounted how she had been assaulted every day for eight years by her own father, who was tried and sentenced to seven years in prison before his death. She expressed [6]her emotions upon her father's death:

It's a relief, a page has been turned, but it led to a feeling of alienation during all those years of unrecognized suffering, and deep inside I will always feel a lack of trust. I will always be disturbed by my past…

Other violence

A high level of impunity and indifference surrounds this kind of violence. This is confirmed by a study conducted by Ipsos for Femme Actuelle[7] on this International Day to Fight Violence Against Women, with a sample of about a thousand people representing the French population:

… 16% of respondents do not consider psychological harassment to fall under the category of violence. For example, comments on a plunging neckline are considered “in poor taste but without any serious consequences” by 26% of men. Sexist insults are thus deemed to be of lesser significance. Yet emotional abuse is the most common kind, with 20% of women having been repeatedly denigrated by their spouse or partner. Lastly, poorer households are the hardest hit: 38% of lower-income women have encountered situations of violence in their relationships before.

Without this support, victims–especially the younger ones–tend to shut themselves away, apprehensive of the calamity that would ensue from telling of a defilement that they often feel vaguely guilty[9] about.

It is painful to express–assuming that they are believed–and to repeat for years and years before the court, despite threats. Their testimony is however essential, not only to restore a state of balance in themselves, but in society, which raises awareness in potential attackers who are not always able to assess the damage they will cause.

The 313 signatories are among the 75,000 victims reported every year in France. There is one rape every eight minutes in our country. This social reality affects those of all backgrounds. The women involved with the manifesto range from 18 to 87 years old and are representative of the population. There are journalists, nurses, students, senior executives, social workers, retirees, etc.

Here is a statement from one of the rape victims and a signatory on the manifesto of the 313 :

There are some phone numbers that can be called in case of need. The site lesnouvellesnews.fr provides a few[12] of these numbers along with the names of the associations that run them:

The increase in the number of these hotlines is not without financial problems that threaten their continuation. The free number 3919, however, deserves a special mention[12], according to the blog lesnouvellesnews.fr:

In any case, no questioning of the “official” number, 3919, a domestic violence helpline run by Association Nationale Solidarité Femmes[16] (National Association for Women's Solidarity). A free and anonymous number: it does not appear on phone bills

Forced prostitution

Prostitution, when it is not voluntary, can entail forms of violence against women who are thrown into this line of work by men who exploit them. The blog avocats.fr gives some statistics[17]: